Chapter 4

The prototype Sky Ship, somewhere over the Misty Mountains...

Artemis was watching Aelfric as he slept, and as she studied his face she felt a sense of familiarity that went deeper than simply knowing his face. Something about him pulled at her consciousness, as though someone were trying to make her notice something. Aelfric had truly proven that he could be a great warrior in the last two battles they had been in. He was strong, but more than that, he was skilled, and Artemis felt that many of her people could benefit from his instruction. In return she felt perhaps he could also benefit from what wisdom the Elves had to teach.

Aelfric had been in a deep sleep as the magic continued its work of healing him. He couldn't tell how long, but for a time, Aelfric's consciousness hovered in the state between sleep and wakefulness. After a seeming long period of being unable to open his eyes, they finally snapped open. He found Artemis across the cabin staring back into his eyes. Her eyes. He lost himself in her eyes for a while, and she held his stare in return. Many thoughts passed through his mind as he held her gaze, not the least of which was that he hoped he could spend the rest of his life with her.

As they continued to stare into each other's eyes, Artemis could feel the emotions coming from Aelfric, and she could feel the bond his own mind was trying to form with her own. She resisted it, but part of her couldn't help but not only to accept those feelings, but even reciprocate them despite her intentions not to. At least, not yet. She needed to study him more, to learn to trust him more. They hadn't known each other for two weeks yet, but Aelfric was deeply infatuated with her. It wasn't true love yet, but it was growing, and she had no doubt that if things continued the way they were, they would develop into true love. He was already feeling quite protective of her.

Another reason Artemis resisted, was specifically because she was an Empath. There was danger for them both, because once a true connection was formed, they would be inseparable. She would die without him, and he would wither away in time without her. Her empathic powers would reach out and begin growing roots in his mind, until a full telepathic bond bloomed like a flower. Their minds would intermingle, and then they would truly be bound forever, with no way to turn back even if they wanted.

Damn Aelfric... ! He wasn't making it easy on her! As hard as she was resisting the bond, his own mind was trying to pull her in. She could feel it now. There was no question in her mind at this point. Aelfric just had to have some magical ability to be pulling her to him with his mind like he was. It was also clear he didn't know he was doing it. He simply pined for her in private, and the more he dwelled on her, the more he could no longer see himself with anyone else.

At least Vanadasse and Aelfwine had been spared that fate. No telepathic bond had formed between them because Vanadasse was not an empath herself, but they had loved each other dearly. If there had been such a bond, Queen Vanadasse would have died long ago. Artemis felt her empathic gifts were almost as much a curse upon her, as they were a blessing. Her power had saved her many times by alerting her to the presence of someone hidden, or who had attempted to take her by surprise.

Yes, Aelfric had to have some magical ability, because she hadn't felt his presence until he began looking at her. It was as though he was invisible to her until he looked upon her first, and then his mind reached out and made a connection with her. Artemis hadn't understood that before, but now it seemed obvious. Artemis smiled at him, and Aelfric returned the smile.

"We're almost home," said Artemis.

"I'm excited to see what Laurina Dor looks like," replied Aelfric. "I know how story books described elven homes and architecture, but I'll be curious to see the truth of it."

"How do those stories describe our architecture?" she asked.

"Well, usually there are lots of trees, and the homes are built in or around lots of trees," he answered.

"Well, there are a lot of trees in and around our cities, and even on our buildings, but only the elves that live in the countryside actually live in trees," explained Artemis. "In the cities we have great stone buildings made of marble and other stones, and often covered in gold and other precious metals. There also many trees all around, so I suppose you might say our cities are very golden and green."

"Laurina Ost, the capital city of our nation, is the grandest elven city in existence. It is a very large and wide city, with multiple great stone walls in concentric rings around the grand palace in the heart of the city. Within the most outer walls are great farms and groves of fruit trees, where our food is grown. Further in are the shops and work places of the merchants and craftsmen. In the ring beyond that are the peoples' homes and parks. Beyond that are the buildings of government, education, guild halls, armories and shelters. As I said before, the grand palace and the Golden Lake are within the innermost wall. There are rivers, streams and waterfalls flowing and winding throughout the city, all flowing from the Gold Lake. There are also many small lakes, besides the very large one at the center of the city, where the grand palace is built upon the largest island within it. Despite its size, Laurina Ost is a very clean and orderly city."

"The central island of Golden Lake is the site of the grand palace, a wide and tiered pyramid like structure, and it is covered in grass and trees on each tier, and surrounding the great golden building. There are columns made of crystal that glow at night, both at the grand entrance and the support columns along all the walkways inside and out of the palace. The palace is always bathed in light, and no matter the time of day, it is always visible across the city. The Golden Lake is actually on high ground, with the central island being the most highly elevated ground in all the city."

"The highest point in all the city is the great crystal spire that comes up out of the roof of the palace like the trunk of a great tree. One can actually climb a stair within the spire and reach the observation deck nearly all the way to the top. The tip of the spire is just above the deck, where the spire angles inward to a point, but then there is a large carved diamond ball, so large that a man could fit inside standing up if the ball were hollow. The crystal spire and the diamond ball sparkle during the day, and at night they shine brilliantly across the city." Artemis had her eyes closed then, fondly remembering the grand city she grew up in.

"It sounds amazing," said Aelfric.

"Of all the places I've ever been, it is the place I think about most. It is home," Artemis reflected.

Before the sky ship got in sight of the city, Aelfric and Artemis were on the deck looking out over the landscape. Slowly the city came into view, and Aelfric saw that Artemis had described her city very well. It was early evening, but there was still enough sunlight to see the green and gold that she had described.

As they approached the city, the sun was just about to pass beneath the horizon and lights began appearing all over the city. The great crystal spire slowly began to glow. First it was dim, and then it got brighter and brighter, until it was a shining beacon that could be seen for miles in every direction.

The sky ship flew over the city, passing each wall, one after another, until the ship reached the central lake at the heart of the city. The sky ship began to come down for a landing, until it lightly splashed down into the water. The ship moved to a large stone dock that led right to the great palace. There was a large group of elves in beautiful robes, but at the head of them all was a very regal elf woman, with a dainty and finely made tiara that seemed woven into her hair.

Aelfric knew she had to be Queen Vanadasse, because she looked rather similar to Artemis. She also had a look of concern on her face, that as beautiful as she was, seemed used to expressing sorrow. She never smiled. Unlike her granddaughter, though, she was more fair skinned. To her right was an ancient elf in pure white robes, with pure white long hair, and no facial hair beyond his eyebrows.

That had to be Idhrenion. As ancient as he looked, he had a timeless quality. He had a solemn look on his face, and mostly Aelfric thought he looked tired. He was looking at Aelfric with an intense gaze, but not with hostility. He seemed more curious, like he was studying him very carefully. Aelfric found it difficult to look him in the eyes, so he turned his gaze back to Vanadasse.

When the ship was docked Artemis led Aelfric to the august group, and when she was standing before the queen, she dropped to one knee and bowed her head. "My queen. Grandmother," said Artemis.

The queen gave the slightest of smiles and replied, "Falathiel, my dearest child, it is good to have you back home, safely back at my side. Know that I am most proud of you. You have managed to do what I would rather have sent others to do in your stead, and you have done it well. By doing so, you may have saved all of our people. I now declare your time of penance to be done with, forever. Too long you have blamed yourself for events you could not control. After you have had time to rest, you shall resume the duties of Crown Princess of Laurina Dor."

Artemis was very startled, and replied, "But, my queen, you relieved me of the position of Princess, so I cannot take up such duties."

The queen responded, "I only relieved you of the duties, not the position. You are my only heir, and your own feelings of guilt are not enough reason to remove you from the line of succession. I knew you would not be able to concentrate on your duties properly, so I allowed you time away to assuage your guilt. Hunting criminals is well within your ability, so I wasn't too concerned, but now you have a bounty on your own head, and a very high priced one at that. I will not allow you to go back out, until such time as it is resolved. I will brook no arguments on this, my child, so do not say anything to me about it."

Artemis looked angry, but she held her tongue. To the queen's credit, she didn't look very happy about having to clip Artemis' wings, and she looked almost as upset about it as she did. Once the moment of anger had passed, Artemis again lifted her head and spoke, "My queen, if I am indeed still the Crown Princess, then there is something you must know. When we were attacked by the first group of Stygians, I grew desperate because I didn't think Idhrenion would be able to help us. Without thinking it through, I made an official Declaration of Love with Aelfric. I had hoped that it would prevent the Stygians from trying to take him, but it did not."

The queen's face grew stern, and she fixed Aelfric with a hard gaze, before turning back to her granddaughter. "We will discuss it later, but what is done, is done," she responded. She then turned to Aelfric himself and said, "Welcome to Laurina Dor young human. I sincerely hope that you can help us, as we have sacrificed much for your sake. I will leave you in the care of Idhrenion now. My granddaughter must have time to rest and reflect on her circumstances, and you will also be given time to rest after your long journey. Idhrenion?"

The aged elf stepped forward towards Aelfric and stopped in front of him. "I am very pleased to meet you, and I am relieved beyond measure that you and our princess have safely made it home," Idhrenion told him. "If I may, I would like to assess your physical condition to assure your health and well being."

"Uh, okay I guess," Aelfric replied uncertainly.

With that the elf reached out with both hands placed on the temple of Aelfric's head and closed his eyes. For reasons he couldn't explain, Aelfric also closed his eyes. There was a slight buzzing in his mind, but it wasn't unpleasant. It almost felt like one of those massaging devices that you rubbed on your back. Finally Idhrenion released him, and then he slowly turned to Vanadasse.

"I have assessed this young man. He is fully healthy, and he is also an untrained adept of magic," Idhrenion told her.

"I can't say I am surprised, since he managed to make it to this world," replied Vanadasse.

"There is more, my queen," said Idhrenion. "He is a descendent of Aelfwine, and he is of the royal blood line."

The queen's face was stricken with shock, and one of her attendants called for a chair to be brought quickly. In mere moments the chair was brought, and the queen finally sat down in it, hard. Tears formed in her eyes, and she asked, "Are you sure?"

Idhrenion's face was full of compassion when he answered, "I am, my queen."

Everyone assembled at the dock was very shocked to hear of it, as was Aelfric himself. He was a descendent of Aelfwine? It would explain why the book had been among his grandfather's possessions. Perhaps it had been passed down from father to son, with his great grandfather Alvin having had it before him. What did the part about being of the royal blood line mean? So, Aelfric asked.

"It means, that you are also of the royal blood line of Arandur, the line that has ruled our people faithfully for more than 12,000 years," explained Idhrenion. "You are a child of Bellethiel, herself the granddaughter of our previous ruler, King Rinion."

"How could you possibly know that?" asked Aelfric.

"I know the Royal Blood very well, as I have watched over it closely for the last 6,000 years. One of my duties is that of the Royal Genealogist, and I have learned to sense the royal line with my magic. There is no doubt about you, young human. You are part elf yourself, and born of royal blood, no less."

Many things then snapped in place for Artemis, as she finally understood what it had been about Aelfric that had confounded her. The familiarity she had felt about him was that they shared some of the same blood in their veins. They were both children of Aelfwine, and they were both of the royal blood line, too. This meant that they were sixth cousins on her mother's side. Probably closer, if one factored in Aelfwine, too. Fifth cousins, perhaps.

Aelfric was thinking hard about who Aelfwine and Bellethiel could have been among his ancestors, then it came to him. How stupid could he have been? His own grandfather, Arthur Owen "Arthonnen" Alvis, was the son of Alvin and Belle Alvis, born in 1912. According to family lore, his great grandparents had come over to the American West from Britain, but had been virtually penniless.

Apparently, Alvin had come from a wealthy family in Britain, but when he had tried to get help, he learned his family had become destitute in the years he had been missing. Aelfric had never heard how they got to the States, only that they had. Now Aelfric suspected they may have been 'tossed' there, much as he was thrown into that meadow. The portal device probably didn't have a fixed end point, at least, not beyond the two spatial dimensions themselves.

From what Aelfric had heard, his great grandparents suffered considerable financial hardship when they arrived, and it wasn't until years later that Alvin had finally been able to get decent wages working as an electrician. This was partially because it took that long for electricity to arrive to that part of the country, and also his immigrant status, that hindered his ability to find jobs that paid well. They had come to America in 1901, and Alvin was already 48 years old. It wasn't until the 1930's that electricity truly began to spread out across the United States on a large scale. Alvin had finally made enough money to get his son educated, but a few years later he fell ill and had died in 1931. Aelfric's grandfather, Arthur Alvis had eventually gone on to become a successful college professor, specializing in mythological lore.